CRASH~~
As the mountain trembled violently, the lava river within it boiled.
In an instant, the massive Pterodactyl totem seemed to come alive, its eerie screeches echoing through the mountain, causing the totem families' faces to pale.
"What terrifying totem energy—what's happening?"
Felicia gasped, only to be ambushed by an Inheritor from behind.
"Look out!"
BOOM!!
In the chaos, the Inheritors launched sneak attacks on the totem families. Emil, reacting swiftly, activated his Abomination totem. The dark green, finned giant roared and charged at the cursed Inheritors.
"Damn bugs, die!!"
Emil bellowed, pursuing the elusive foes. Hearing his roar, Charlie felt a nostalgic pull back to his days fighting villains.
Yeah, they called the Invincible Spider-Man that too.
BOOM!!
Explosions snapped Charlie back to reality. The totem families, caught off guard by the Inheritors, tried to retaliate, but the Pterodactyl totem, enveloped in the lava river, soared upward.
CRASH!!
The colossal totem smashed through the mountain, soaring into the sky. The onlookers were stunned.
"My God, the totem's flying away!!"
Roar~
In the night sky, the lava river-formed Pterodactyl totem circled, its heat illuminating the surrounding forest, painting the clouds with fiery hues.
This spectacular sight thrilled Totem Steve in the dark forest.
"Great! I'm finally not lost!!"
He sprinted joyfully toward the totem's direction.
The next moment, the sea at the other end erupted in massive waves. Searing lava shot skyward like a fountain, forming a thousand-meter-long Serpent totem that hovered in the sky.
"Another totem!"
In the forest, Fury's team was utterly baffled.
With anomalies on both sides, they didn't know which direction to pursue.
"Coulson, take a team that way," Fury ordered decisively.
But before Coulson could move, another massive totem appeared in a different direction.
ROAR!!
A beastly bellow shook the earth. A giant Lizard totem climbed the fiery clouds, resonating with the other two totems.
"The third totem—it's the Lizard totem!"
Connors, sensing his totem energy stir, grew serious. "That's the Lizardfolk's stronghold. Their totem energy has fused into a massive Lizard totem."
Fury's face darkened further. "This has to be tied to General Ross—no, that's…"
He sensed something, slowly turning, eyes widening.
A fourth massive totem appeared.
A horned lava demon, resembling a goat or sheep, radiated a menacing aura akin to the Devil totem. Its energy thrilled Harry and Norman.
"The Devil totem!"
"The true Devil totem!"
The father and son exclaimed, ecstatic.
Whether Green Goblin or Daredevil totems, they were Devil totems but incomplete. While granting their family great power, they came with severe side effects.
The Daredevil totem's downside was merely blinding its user.
The Green Goblin totem was worse, bringing the Osborn family's genetic disease—a shortened lifespan, excruciating pain during flare-ups, and a gruesome death.
The Osborns had long sought a cure, until they learned of the subterranean civilization.
Now, they'd found the true Devil totem.
Absorbing its power to complete their Green Goblin totem would save them from the genetic curse.
With that thought, the duo raced toward the Devil totem.
But soon, the four massive totems began converging. The lava rivers in the night sky spread like silk, claiming the land and sky, their shockwaves repelling Harry, Norman, the Inheritors, and Charlie.
BOOM!!
Several figures were hurled into the forest by the overwhelming totem energy.
Among them was Morlun, disheveled from the Spider totem's explosion.
"Damn it, that totem energy is mine!!"
Morlun roared skyward, his face twisting, golden eyes blazing, and fangs sharpening.
BOOM!!
A massive golden Leech totem surged upward, writhing toward the four totems.
Gazing at the golden Leech totem, Fury's team finally understood.
"The Morlun family!"
"Damn, it's third-stage totem energy. Morlun's hidden too well!!"
In the ravaged forest, Harry struggled to his feet, staring hopelessly at the golden Leech totem.
"Third stage? What's that?"
The Invincible Spider-Man landed beside him, startling Harry.
"Spider-Man—"
"Tell me, what's third-stage totem energy?" Charlie waved him off.
Harry exhaled. "It's the evolution stage of totem energy. Ordinary totems are first-stage—strong or weak, but the gap isn't huge. Evolved totems are second-stage, far stronger, surpassing 99.9% of totem warriors. Only a few second-stage warriors exist on Earth.
And the third stage is Morlun."
He looked at the golden Leech totem closing in on the four totems, utterly despairing.
"Golden totem energy—that's legendary third-stage totem energy. The King Rat was at this stage. Except for the Supreme Totem, no one can match a legendary totem."
Charlie nodded thoughtfully.
No wonder his evolved Spider totem couldn't match Morlun's. The guy's totem had evolved twice.
Worthy of someone who devoured a thousand Spider-Men.
As he pondered, the golden Leech totem climbed the Serpent totem, absorbing its immense energy.
If Morlun absorbed all four totems, his Leech totem would become the ultimate Supreme Totem.
Then, no one could oppose him.
Well, even without the four totems, no one here could match him.
Third-stage totem energy was unique in the world.
Charlie could only admire Morlun's relentless ambition.
This guy was too driven.
But he couldn't figure out why the totems suddenly came alive. They'd been fine before, with no warning.
Morlun hadn't even touched the Pterodactyl totem!
Unable to puzzle it out, he shook his head, planning to open a portal to the Web of Life and Destiny.
With Morlun distracted, now was the time to clear the parasites from the Web. Charlie believed it was necessary.
If he regained control of the Web, even if Morlun became the Supreme Totem, he might not best Charlie with the Web's power.
At worst, he could protect himself.
But if he tried to stop Morlun now, the golden Leech totem could swallow him whole.
After all, nothing stopped Morlun from multitasking while absorbing other totems.
Marvel's fantasy setup didn't work that way!
His plan was solid, but reality was harsh.
The portal Charlie opened was shattered by waves of totem shockwaves. The Leech totem absorbed the Serpent totem's power, but the four totems kept converging.
Even the third-stage Leech totem, clinging to the Serpent totem, was just a shiny parasite.
But Morlun didn't care—he craved greater power.
In the Inheritors' prophecy, the Leech totem would be consumed by the Spider totem, and Spider-Man would end their family.
At first, Morlun didn't believe it.
How could a weak Spider-Man challenge the Inheritors?
To prove the prophecy wrong, he killed this world's Spider-Man.
Born with a second-stage Leech totem, he was destined to elevate the Inheritors to new heights.
But what followed forced him to believe.
The Inheritor patriarch discovered the Web of Life and Destiny, the power source of all Spider-Men across the multiverse.
It was a despairingly vast power.
Fortunately, it wasn't tied to one Spider-Man, or the Inheritors would have no chance.
Morlun admitted Spider-Man's limitless potential. If another universe's Spider-Man claimed that power, it'd be a catastrophe for the Inheritors.
Thus, the Inheritors invaded the Web.
They found the Master Weaver, who held no power but controlled all Spider-Men's fates.
Capturing the Weaver cost them dearly.
Countless family members died, and even their mother perished on the cosmic web due to Karn's softness.
But it was worth it.
They captured the Weaver, using the Web to locate all Spider-Men across the multiverse.
They hunted, killing weak Spider-Men and growing stronger by absorbing their totem energies. Morlun killed the most, becoming the new patriarch.
He exiled Karn, who caused their mother's death, and evolved his Leech totem to the third stage.
He was the first Inheritor to reach this stage and the Totem Universe's mightiest.
But he stayed low-key, hiding his power.
Not all Spider-Men were dead, and the Web wasn't fully destroyed.
As long as one Spider-Man lived, Morlun wasn't truly invincible.
This was a prolonged war.
Time flowed differently across universes, making Morlun urgent.
He couldn't give Spider-Men time to grow.
But the multiverse was vast beyond imagination.
He realized Spider-Men were unkillable in their entirety.
Only evolving his Leech totem to the ultimate Supreme Totem could consume the Web, severing all Spider-Men's life and destiny.
To do that, he needed the subterranean world's Supreme Totem.
Inheritor texts described it as an unbreakable, independent world—the origin of totem energy.
That was his goal!
He performed another prophetic ritual and got his answer.
Soon, a Spider-Man named Charlie Parker would enter the Totem Universe, and the subterranean world's entrance would appear.
Charlie Parker haunted Morlun.
He knew this Spider-Man—one of the weakest across universes.
Though weak, his powers were odd.
A Spider-Man in a prophecy couldn't be simple.
And so it was. The weak Spider-Man grew stronger, and Morlun's hesitation gave him time.
The safest move was to kill Charlie early, eliminating all risks.
But the subterranean Supreme Totem was vital to protect his family.
In the end, he compromised.
His greed and resolve to save his family spared Charlie—for now.
With the Supreme Totem, everything would be worth it.
He believed he'd defy fate, save the Inheritors, and end Spider-Man.
And he acted on it.
Charlie arrived, and the subterranean entrance opened.
In this world, Morlun met Charlie Parker.
His second-stage Spider totem was strong.
If Morlun's Leech totem were still second-stage, he'd win due to its suppression of the Spider totem.
But Charlie's totem energy was different, and without overwhelming power, Morlun wasn't certain of victory.
Fortunately, his Leech totem was third-stage.
He crushed Charlie, forcing the Invincible Spider-Man to self-detonate his totem to escape.
While Charlie hadn't resurrected, Morlun's window was narrow.
Only the Supreme Totem's power could alter fate and save the Inheritors.
He was close.
As the four totems began merging, Morlun's Leech totem climbed their fusion.
He'd absorb their power to become the ultimate Supreme Totem.
Then, the Leech totem would no longer be a vile parasite but the Totem Universe's greatest god!!
Morlun's ambition surged, and the four totems' fusion took shape.
It was…
A colossal green dragon!
Serpent's tail, Lizard's body, Pterodactyl's wings, Devil's horns.
Charlie saw it too.
Now he understood the Snakefolk's totem ritual.
Hunting other tribes for totem energy was to evolve their Serpent totem into a green dragon.
Other tribes' rituals were the same.
But before their totems could evolve, an unknown anomaly triggered their fusion.
However…
Charlie felt an ominous premonition.
This wasn't so simple.
The four totems formed a dragon, but four alone couldn't sustain the fusion.
As the thought hit, the fused Dragon totem roared skyward, shaking the earth. Subterranean creatures wailed, forced to offer their totem energies as they cowered.
Across the subterranean world, mountains and lands shimmered with countless light particles—the totem energies of its creatures—drawn to the Dragon totem in the sky.
Simultaneously, this force affected Fury's team.
Buzz~
Fury and the others dropped to their knees, gasping as specks of totem energy left their bodies, forming the S.H.I.E.L.D. totem and merging into the Dragon, creating indestructible scales on its surface.
"What?"
As the group reeled, Harry, Norman, and other totem families had their energies drained too.
These energies perfected the Dragon totem.
Charlie was included.
The Hulk totem energy his Spider totem had absorbed was forcibly extracted, but the Spider totem itself was unaffected.
He realized something.
Looking at the subterranean entrance, he saw light particles from the surface world forming a galaxy, surging toward the Dragon totem.
All totem energies in the Totem Universe came from the subterranean world, and the Dragon totem was their source!
Spider-Man's power came from the Web of Life and Destiny, not the Dragon totem, so it was immune.
But Charlie noticed Morlun's Leech totem was also unaffected.
The golden Leech totem wasn't consumed by the Dragon totem.
What was going on?
Charlie frowned. Was the Leech totem a parasite born on the Dragon totem?
This wasn't good.
The Leech totem kept devouring the Dragon totem's power, and the Dragon seemed unable to resist.
Not unwilling—unable.
The Leech totem was designed to counter powerful totems, even the Dragon.
With totem shockwaves growing fiercer, and unable to portal to the Web, Charlie had one last resort.
He couldn't let Morlun keep absorbing the Dragon totem's power!
Without hesitation, he pulled out Doctor Doom's mask and shouted at Morlun.
"Duel! Morlun family!"
The fated battle began!